Niil winced at the sound the door made, and clamped his mouth down on a profanity. He felt relief when he saw that Trax was in the room with her, but then he saw that Trax's pistols were placed on a table, unholstered, and away from the bed. Why would he . . . oh. Oh, shit. Time to leave. Now. He quickly hit the door controls, and started to head back for his cot. Nope, if Trax is in a mood when he comes out of that room, he'll need time to cool off. Let's walk around for a bit.
Niil headed towards the cargo end of the ship . . . he wasn't about to pester Juno while Galen's death was likely still fresh in her mind . . . and silently opened the door. It was compact, but surprisingly clean. One thing that stood out from all the other crates and equipment was a cylindrical pod. That looks like a stasis pod. Curious, he threaded his way around a few crates and stopped about two feet away. A light on the control panel was blinking, indicating that it was active. There's someone in there.
Walking up to the cylinder, he peered inside . . . and felt his heart smash brutally against his ribcage. There was a young woman inside, pale and peaceful-looking, but it was obvious from the color of her skin and the EEG/EKG display that she was dead. He remembered that face, full of eagerness, and the eyes that literally sparkled when she was hacking a computer, or fixing some complex bit of machinery. He'd had a fun time training her in the use of the blaster, and the basics of unarmed combat. And oh, shit, Nim had shouted something back when they'd been fighting the Inquisitor. In the din of the battle, he'd completely ignored it, but now it came back into his mind with utter, remorseless clarity. "For Mariah!"
Mariah's dead.
She's dead. Gone.
Dead.
He took a step back, but found that his legs had turned to burning lead. He caught himself against a crate, and sat down painfully on its ledge. He gaped at the stasis pod, and rasped, "What the hell . . . why . . ." Shaking his head in disbelief, he buried his face in his hands and let the grief slam into him. The hell with not letting emotions flow. There's been too many good people in such a short time, and why her of all people? He leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling to try and get himself back under control, but he started smacking his fist against the crate he was sitting on. Wiping at his eyes, he suddenly bellowed, "WHY HER, FOR FRAK'S SAKE? OF ALL PEOPLE!"
He posted himself off the crate and looked around for something to vent his anger on. That won't accomplish anything, Niil. And it won't bring her back. Don't let her death start you down a path that you'll regret. She wouldn't want that to happen. His anger has mostly evaporated, but the hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach made him feel like stepping out of an airlock. He walked back to the stasis pod, and leaned his forehead against the viewing glass. "You'll be badly missed, Mariah, but never forgotten. I'll remember how you lived." He slid down the side of the chamber so that he was sitting with his back to it, and closed his eyes to try and bring back a semblance of serenity to his mind and spirit. Yes, Mariah, I'll remember how you lived. Well over three hours passed before he finally returned to his bed.
